UFC 311 will be the first PPV event of 2025 this Saturday and the lightweight title fight main event could be one of the fights of the year.
Fans in attendance at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California will be the beneficiaries of what will be an incredible lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.
The rematch between the two is a fight six years in the making, having first met at UFC Russia in 2019, during Tsarukyan's UFC debut.
Ahead of their second meeting, Tsarukyan has been trying to get himself into the best possible shape to dethrone the current pound-for-pound number one and has even trained with the only fighter to ever beat Makhachev.
READ MORE: Arman Tsarukyan Claims He Will Be Done With 'The Sport' If He Wins At UFC 311 And Will Focus Only On Money Fights
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Alexander Volkanovski supports former foe Islam Makhachev at UFC 311
The rematch between Makhachev and Tsarukyan is being highlighted as one of the highest profile MMA fights in recent years and is likely to be a closely contested fight.
Makhachev's former foe, Alexander Volkanovski, has experienced the best the Russian has to offer, but he was extremely surprised to see how much of an underdog Tsarukyan is and has warned fans not to be 'surprised' if he pulls off the upset.
“Wow, I didn't expect him to be such a big underdog,” Volk said in a video on his YouTube channel.
“Islam is very safe… (His team) is very calculated, they don't take unnecessary risks, they are used to scrambling, they are used to really good control, which will be more Arman's style.
“You're going to see some crazy fights, their first fight was fun. Big fan of both guys, I like them both, I get along with both of them. It is a difficult task, I will have to continue with it. I'm just thinking about the value here, the value to Arman.
“It's just hard. I think Islam is safe enough. I think the majority of the problems that probably put Islam in better positions, and noticeably, it's a lot safer.
“Very nice fight and very competitive, but I think Islam is letting them down. Arman shouldn't be such an underdog… I'm going for Islam… You can't leave Arman out of it though, don't be surprised if it's very competitive,” he finished.
Volkanovski predicts Merab Dvalishvili will retain his title in the UFC 311 co-main event
It's not just the lightweight title fight that has fans salivating, as the co-main event sees Merab Dvalishvili defend his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
After winning the 135-pound title in September at UFC 306, Dvalishvilli makes the quick turnaround to take on the undefeated Russian phenom.
Despite 'The Machine' being a big underdog to retain his title, Alexander 'The Great' picks him to hand Nurmagomedov his first defeat.
“He shouldn't have to pay three dollars. I think I have to go for Merab, purely because of the amount he pays. I think this is a tough fight even though he is champion. Umar is a very tough fight because he can wrestle very well and punch very well.
“If this fight happens in later rounds, I think (Merab) Umar can really break in the later rounds,” he predicted.
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